Why You Should Invest in Upskilling

Posted April 15, 2016

The most important part of a new employee’s induction process is training and development. When a new employee joins, you invest time and energy into teaching them everything they need to know about your business to help them assimilate into the firm and become productive. But what happens one, two or five years later?

Aside from assigning challenging projects, there is only so much an employee can learn and grow if they haven’t undergone formal training for a while. Growth is essential for business success, whether you’re looking at your list of clientele or your employees’ skills. Some businesses rely solely on knowledge that employees pick up organically, but to get the best out of an employee and to get the best for your business; you should consider investing resources to upskill your workforce. Here are some reasons why.

Efficiency – if an employee needs to perform a task they aren’t trained to do, it will take more time and effort to complete it. This drain of resources is unnecessary and poses a long-term loss if it isn’t remedied. Training is an immediate investment that guarantees more efficient production and better-informed employees in the future.

Quality – aside from increased efficiency, employees will also improve the quality of the work they produce with relevant training. Untrained employees turn out work of lesser value, which in turn lowers the value of your business. Training is essential to higher production value.

Diversification – training can be used to hone present skills and concurrently acquire new ones. Strengthening existing skills is admirable in itself, but the right training will enable your employee to diversify and therefore become more valuable to your business. This will make them a more versatile employee, opening the door for more (and more varied) responsibilities and career progression.

Fewer mistakes – an undertrained or unskilled employee is a mistake waiting to happen. Whether it’s administrative, health and safety or anything in between, if someone is ignorant about a subject, mistakes are bound to occur. The more trained and knowledgeable an employee is; the more competent and aware they become.

Morale – employees who lack confidence in their ability suffer and so does the business they work for. Low confidence leads to low morale and, as a consequence, underperformance. This can be tackled with more support and training until employees feel secure within themselves. Confidence has a huge impact on productivity and quality, so you can’t underestimate the influence that upskilling has on your business when it creates happier employees.

The long-term benefits of upskilling your workforce far outstrips the initial cost that makes some employers wary; training is a beneficial undertaking for your employees that will have a knock-on effect on your business’ output. It improves their confidence, morale, and loyalty; this, as well as actual learning’s from their training, will convert into technical benefits. They will be better at their jobs and produce work more efficiently and of a better quality than an untrained employee. Investing in your employees is tantamount to investing in your business.